My Fellow Phans,
On Sunday May 23rd, Tim Wakefield's knuckleball dazzled the Phillies as he threw 8 shutout innings in an 8-3 loss to the Red Soxs. In the next three weeks, the Phillies proceeded to go 5-12 with their struggles trademarked by a serious lack of offensive output. During this time they were shutout 5 times scoring just 40 runs in those 17 games.
On Sunday June 13th, the Phillies had their 2nd shot at the knuckleballing Wakefield, this time at Fenway Park in Boston. However, this would not be a repeat performance for the aging righthander. This time Wakefield went 7.1 innings, but gave up 4 earned runs in the process. The Phillies won the game 5-3 beating the knuckleballer three weeks after he had made them look horrendous. Was this beating of Tim Wakefield a turning point for the Phillies? Did they need to get this "monkey" off their backs before they could break through offensively? I don't know.
What I do know is that in the Phillies' 12 games since then, the Phillies have gone 8-4. In those 12 games they have scored 78 runs; nearly double their output in their previous 18 games. Jimmy Rollins has returned and looked just as strong at the plate as he did before he was injured and the team seems to be rolling, at least for now...
Let me say this, I was never "worried" about this team. I was frustrated with them during their recent slide which I guess is a byproduct of their recent successes. I was and always will be critical of this team. I am a fan of the game of baseball and I will always analyze it to the best of my abilities. This sometimes includes the harsh critique that I voiced numerous times during that cold streak. To say I was worried would be false. My words may have painted that false impression, but I was more frustrated than worried. There is a difference between being worried about a team and being critical of that same team.
I will say this. If the Phillies are playing well, and that is a big "if" noting that the Phillies are very much prone to inconsistency, but if they are playing well; those teams ahead of us in the division need to watch their backs. If the Boys are Back for good in Philly, it could be bad news for the rest of the National League.
Until we meet again Phillies Fans; Happy Readings and Go Phillies!
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